Identity in Ephesians: You are Light
Ephesians 5:1-20
Connect:
Share how you have seen God in the Highs and Lows of your week.
Discuss how resolutions made last week in “growing more like Jesus” worked themselves out – what God did in and through you (Phil. 2:13) Celebrate and thank God for those together and pray with those who experienced some “Lows” this week, for God’s encouragement for them.
Prayer:
Pray that God would lead your discussion time and bring fresh insight, conviction, and hope through your time together.
Review:
We are launching into a new series on our identity in Christ as presented in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. There are 14 things that God says we are. We are “Blessed”, “Rooted”, “Alive”, “Reconciled”, “Called”, “Loved”, “Gifted”, “New” and now Light!
The Grand Tour of the message: Thinking back on what you heard this Sunday…
o What did you learn about God?
o What did you learn about people?
o What did you learn about yourself?
o What do you want to commit to putting into practice?
Reflect:
Share about a time when God gave you strength you didn’t know you had!
Read Ephesians 5:1-2
o What does it mean to “walk in love, as Christ loved us”? (1 Corinthians 13:1-7, Luke 6:27-36, John 13:12-17, and 34-35, 1 John 3:16-18, and 4:19-21).
Read Ephesians 5:3-6
o “Among you there must not be even a hint…” sounds pretty intolerant! Discuss God’s plan for His people in living rightly: Why is ‘live right’ so vital? (Deut. 4:5-8, Romans 2:22-24, 28-29).
o How can we strengthen our defenses against the “sexual immorality and covetousness” that dishonor God’s Name? (Matthew 6:22-23, 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, 2 Timothy 2:20-22, 1 Timothy 6:6-10, Hebrews 13:5, Philippians 4:11-13).
Read Ephesians 5:7-10
o How do we walk as “children of light”? (John 1:4-5, 8:12, and 12:46, 1 John 1:7, Psalm 36:9, Psalm 119: 105 and 130, Proverbs 4:18, Matthew 5:16).
o o How do we “discern what is pleasing to the Lord”? (James 1:5-8, Romans 12:2, Hebrews 5:12-14, and 12:4-11, 2Chronicles 20:12b).
Read Ephesians 5:11-14
o How do we “take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” while not unnecessarily alienating those who are sincerely seeking Truth? (2 Timothy 2: 24-26, Galatians 6:1, 1 Timothy 2:1-4, 2 Peter 3:8-9, John 17:15-16).
o How do we “make the best use of the time”? (James 3:13 and 17, Psalm 90:12, Proverbs 2:1-11, and 15:33, Proverbs 3:5-8, and 13-18, Colossians 3:16).
Read Ephesians 5:18-20
o How can we be continually filled with the Holy Spirit? (Luke 11:13, John 14:15-17, Acts 2:38, and 15:7-9, Galatians 3:2-6, Ephesians 1:13-14, and 4:30).
o How do we know if we are filled with the Holy Spirit? (John 14:26, Romans 5:3-5, and 8:13-16, Galatians 5:22-23, Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 12:7)
Respond:
o The message here is that we ARE light, and now need to LIVE as children of light. Make that your prayer this evening— thank God for His grace, and pray that His Spirit will work in and through your life to draw others to Himself!
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